A residential building in Jining, Shandong province, was charging residents for taking the elevator, iqilu.com reported on Tuesday.

Some residents in the building including a disabled man surnamed Fang whose home is on the 15th floor, had to climb the stairs to avoid paying the fee, the report said.

Fang said he spent 190 yuan ($30) on property costs for the elevator per year, but the property management company recently started charging 0.30 yuan ($0.05) for each trip on the elevator.

A staff member of the property management company, surnamed Sun, said the elevators were being taken too frequently, raising the cost of maintenance. The elevator charge was aimed to reduce the risk of damage to the elevator.